National Hero of Nicaragua

From His Life

Augusto César Sandino was born on May 18, 1895, 124 years ago, in Niquinohomo, not far from Masaya-Monimbó, in Nicaragua.

As a child, he grew up in very poor conditions. His father, Gregorio, was a coffee farmer, and his mother, Margarita, worked from sunrise to sunset on the father's plantation. From the age of nine, he lived with his grandmother as his parents who had no time for him. In order for the family not to starve, he had to find work early to earn money.

When he was 17 years old, American soldiers invaded Nicaragua. He had then his first experience with the cruelties of war. In 1912, there was an uprising in the people, which was suppressed with the help of North American mercenaries.

Sandino made many efforts to keep his job. He worked as a guard in a rum factory, then worked abroad on a banana plantation as a common laborer, later in an oil company selling gasoline. The search for opportunities for earning a living took him from Guatemala to Mexico. He returned to Nicaragua in 1926.

In Nueva Segovia, in the north of the country, he worked in a mine. In Nicaragua, there are copper, gold, and silver mines.

Once again, there was an uprising in the country, and the government brought in North American soldiers. It was the second U.S. intervention. During this time, he was working in a mine owned by an American entrepreneur. His anger grew against all the exploitation, the harsh working conditions there, and especially against the military invasion.

He began to build an armed liberation group despite the danger for himself and his comrades. Helpers from all over the country, even from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, joined the group. They fought in the mountains and attacked small targets of the invaders and their mines, making the foreign intruders weary. The world was already watching Nicaragua. Sandino and his fighters were admired for their courage. However, he was persecuted in his own country. The President of the USA, Calvin Coolidge, sent 6,000 Marines/soldiers to Nicaragua. The mission was to capture Sandino dead or alive.

But Sandino was strong. He was called the "General of the Free People." Depending on the situation, up to 6,000 fighters joined him in the Liberation Army for the fight for national independence. Wars are always terrible. Many people lost their lives during the struggles for a free Nicaragua.

On January 2, 1933, one day after the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Sacasa, the US soldiers finally withdrew from Nicaragua. However, in Nicaragua, a National Guard was established, with its supreme commander being the American confidant Anastasio Somoza García.

On February 21, 1934, during a "reconciliation" meal in Managua which was actually a trap set up by President Sacasa, Sandino (who was only 37 years old) and his accompanying officers were cowardly murdered by the National Guard of Anastasio Somoza García.

Sandino is revered by many people in Latin America and other parts of the world as a freedom fighter.

A stamp was printed in Cuba.

A monument honoring A.C. Sandino in the north of Nicaragua.

Museum "Augusto César Sandino" in Managua.

Baseball Stadium "Augusto César Sandino" in Santa Clara, Cuba.

There are paintings and drawings of Sandino.

Nicaragua exports "Sandino Coffee" to many countries.